There is an interesting combination of warmth and hard-headedness in Modi’s style. The hugs, handshakes and photographs attract attention but behind them lies a fairly disciplined view of foreign policy. Modi has understood something simple about diplomacy: When governments disagree, it helps enormously if their leaders can still pick up the telephone. Over the years he has invested considerable political capital in these relationships. His equation with successive American presidents, his continuing engagement with Vladimir Putin, his conversations with Xi Jinping, and his outreach to leaders across Europe, Africa and the Gulf come from the same playbook. He is also willing to go where an Indian Prime Minister has rarely gone. In 2025, he visited Ghana after three decades and Trinidad and Tobago after 26 years. Such visits help build goodwill and strengthen India’s relationships with countries that often receive limited attention from major powers.
This personal style sits comfortably with his larger doctrine of strategic autonomy. Modi speaks of India becoming a “rule shaper” rather than merely a “rule taker”. He wants India to deal with the world with confidence rather than defensiveness. That means working closely with America through the Quad, retaining a longstanding relationship with Russia, engaging China through Brics, strengthening partnerships with Europe and the Gulf, and championing developing economies through Global South platforms. Modi’s approach has been to take positions on individual issues based on India’s interests rather than align automatically with any one bloc. It is an intensely pragmatic approach, with every issue judged on its merits and India’s interests. Strategic autonomy under Modi has therefore become more active and assertive, giving him the freedom to cooperate with one country on defence, another on energy and a third on technology, while disagreeing with each of them elsewhere.
His instinct for coalition-building was particularly visible during India’s G20 presidency in 2023. The Ukraine war had hardened divisions between Russia and the West, and expectations of consensus were low. Modi was characteristically persistent, keeping all sides engaged and working towards areas of agreement. India eventually secured the New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration. Equally significant was Modi’s push to make the African Union a permanent member of the G20. He personally welcomed the African Union chair to his place at the summit, underlining India’s commitment to giving the Global South a greater voice. India had prepared the ground through the Voice of Global South initiative, consulting more than 120 countries. Bringing the African Union into the G20 gave an entire continent greater representation in global decision-making. It also reflected an important feature of Modi’s diplomacy — that of building broader coalitions and ensuring that countries outside the traditional centres of power have a meaningful voice.
Symbolism is an important part of his politics and diplomacy. The bear hugs, the personal welcomes, the choice of gifts, the visits to cultural and historical sites and even the language he uses are designed to communicate beyond the negotiating room. His foreign policy frequently has a public-facing dimension. Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam gave India’s G20 presidency an easily understood philosophy. “One Earth, One Family, One Future” translated an ancient Indian idea into modern diplomatic language. Yoga Day similarly became an exercise in soft power on an extraordinary global scale. Vaccine Maitri during Covid-19 carried a clear message that India’s rise should also benefit others. These gestures work because Modi understands that diplomacy today happens simultaneously in negotiating rooms, television studios and on millions of phone screens. Few world leaders have been as conscious of all three audiences.
There is also tremendous stamina behind the style. Fifteen bilateral meetings in three days at Brics are part of a pattern of relentless engagement. Modi treats foreign policy as a prime ministerial responsibility rather than an activity delegated largely to diplomats. More than 400 meetings and engagements across 30 Indian cities preceded the Brics summit, but at crucial moments he personally supplied the push that diplomats alone could not. He realises that diplomats can craft the language, but the leader supplies ambition and political capital. His ability to engage leaders with fundamentally conflicting interests is particularly valuable in today’s world. Brics itself represents nearly half of humanity and around 40 per cent of global gross domestic product. It is a difficult group to administer, as its members bring different ambitions, alliances and grievances. Modi’s achievement has been to find areas where these competing interests overlap: Trade, technology, critical minerals, food and energy security, resilient supply chains and reform of global institutions- and concentrate attention there.
As Modi celebrates his birthday on September 17, his political legacy will inevitably generate debate. In foreign policy, however, his personal imprint is unmistakable. Over more than a decade, he has given Indian diplomacy greater visibility, confidence and ambition. He has made the Prime Minister himself India’s chief diplomatic communicator and has invested deeply in relationships across ideological and geographical divides. His style combines the Gujarati businessman’s pragmatism, the politician’s instinct for people and symbolism, and the statesman’s understanding that nations ultimately pursue their own interests. He can be warm without losing sight of the deal, flexible without losing sight of the objective, and ambitious while recognising the limits of the moment.
Perhaps that is the essence of the Modi way. In an increasingly fractured world, he prefers engagement to estrangement, relationships to rigid camps and bridges to walls. He has understood that strategic autonomy carries greater weight when a country has strong relationships across the world. His diplomacy has combined pragmatism with ambition, engaging competing powers, strengthening the voice of the Global South and steadily expanding India’s influence. Over more than a decade,
he has changed the way India engages with the world, and, equally importantly, the way the world engages with India. India today speaks with greater confidence, is courted across competing geopolitical camps and has a growing role in shaping the global conversation.
The writer is Chairman, RPG Enterprises. The views expressed are personal
